ZUSSO KIDS 1, TOKYO, 2004

Aoyama, Tokyo

Kids hair salon

These kids hair salon, located in Omotesando, are dedicated to
children. For these project, Loic de Tonge takes you into a dreamlike vision of a child’s world, spoken through his sense of emotional and stimulating design.
He takes children into a world of sensations and colour, taken from his own childhood in the Mediterranean. Graphical images of fables and fairy tales animate the space with a sense of purity. Loic wanted to create a space where children could express themselves and have their unique own sense of identity. The space is divided into two main areas. The calm white colour soft and relaxing – a dream like cocoon – intimate and reassuring. The dynamic red colour is
light-hearted and fun creating an inclusive, playful and creative area. In the middle of the space are two converging curves created by the floorings design and counter top, which guide visitors to the main reception area. This ellipse encloses the cashier’s working space, which is half enclosed and protected from view. A large glass panel is covered in a transparent red film and divides the salon into two areas: a play zone and shampooing zone. This transparent panel
runs in parallel to the counter top and separates the function of the two areas whilst never leaving the children out of sight. The play area has a large face of white wall punctuated with touches of red and orange, which indirectly brings the whole space together in a sense of unity.
When entering Zusso Kids, you enter into a magical world: a world where games and colours each have their place. Characters inspired from children’s stories appear on the walls with a giant staircase leading to the shampooing sinks and multicoloured miniature cars replacing traditional chairs.(conclusion)
If there is such a thing as a “Global Design”, Loic de Tonge has stamped his mark on all the components of this project: interior design, furniture design as well as powerful graphical imagery. He applies his art skilfully so that the children can use their sense of imagination but has not forgotten their comfort, which is of paramount importance. His design goes further than pure aesthetic pleasure. Here, functional spaces have also been created giving importance to energetic colours.